The present invention is in the field of electronic displays and more particularly in the field of electronic pricing and product identification displays for retail shelving.
Retail product identification and product price are typically displayed on a store shelf in the form of plastic or paper tags and require constant intervention from store employees to keep the tags matched to the products and the prices accurate and up to date. In addition to product name and price, these shelf tags may also contain a UPC (uniform product code) bar code for the product as well as a computed price per ounce. The tags must be reprinted as prices change and must be manually relocated from shelf to shelf as products are relocated. Because of the difficulty and time consuming nature of the manual shelf tag system used by most stores, the tags are often improperly located and pricing is often outdated.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,880 to Gomersall is an attempt to deal with some of the limitations of manual shelf tags. That device consists of an electronic shelf tag which displays the price of the item associated with the tag. Each shelf tag is assigned to a product and the UPC code of the product is the address of the shelf tag displaying the price of the product. A computer is used to download address and price information to an xe2x80x9cEPROMxe2x80x9d device which is used on a product-by-product and tag-by-tag basis to adjust the information displayed by each tag as product addresses or prices change. One of the main limitations of that device is that the price changes are still accomplished manually, albeit electronically. Furthermore, each tag must be physically addressed to a specific product manually, and this is done through use of the UPC code for the product. If the product is moved or changed then the tag must be physically moved or changed to match the new location or product. This process requires labor and is also prone to human errors. Also, the problem of being moved by unauthorized persons remains. Finally, since one of the electronic tags is required for each product, the cost would likely be prohibitive for a typical retail store.
Similarly, the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,817 to Palmer is an attempt to provide an electronic tag which is more easily updated, but this apparatus also requires interface between the tag and a hand held unit operated by a store employee.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display device for retail product shelves which provides completely automated product information and price display.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which does not have to be relocated as products are relocated within the store.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which is controlled entirely by a central computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which requires no manual interaction by store personnel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which can provide product and price information for multiple products.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which can provide product and price information for an entire shelf section length.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which provides for product and price display for a variable number of products.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which provides for the display of product and price information at variable positions in variable display fields on the display.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which provides for the location reassignment and re-pricing of products through interaction with a central computer only.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product information and price display for retail product shelves which is economically feasible for a typical retail store.
Each shelf on each gondola in a retail store is assigned a unique shelf address code through a control computer. An electronic display strip of the present invention is attached to the shelf front of each shelf. The electronic display strip can be an LCD, an LED or a plasma display. Display fields of variable locations and lengths within each display strip are assigned to each product on a shelf. The display field for each product has a unique address code based upon the location and length of the display field within the display strip. Shelf and display field address codes, product information and product price information are transmitted on a continuous or intermittent basis by the control computer through a communications link to signal processors at each display strip. If the shelf address code of a display strip matches the assigned shelf address code of a product, the display field address code, product information and price information are passed to a control circuit for the display strip which stores the information in a display memory and energizes the display field matching the display field address code for the product, displaying the production information and product price in the display field.
While the electronic display field of the present invention can be of any length, it is typically the full shelf length. This is typically approximately four feet for most common shelf units. Through the control computer, the shelf and display field assigned to a particular product can be changed readily as a product is relocated in the store from aisle to aisle, gondola to gondola, or shelf to shelf. Product and price information can also be readily updated. Once a display strip is in place no further physical manipulation of the strip is require. All changes are handled through the control computer. Because the display strip covers the whole shelf, several products can be displayed by each display at the same time. The control circuitry for each display strip can display several items at the same time on the display strip, the number being limited by the amount of space required for each product. This invention makes it possible to control product information and pricing display at the shelf level completely without human intervention at the shelf level.
The communication link between the control computer and each display strip may be accomplished through hard wire connection, wireless communication such as cellular telephone or through LAN""s and telephone lines and the control computer may be located at the retail store or may be located at a central location from which multiple stores can be controlled. With centralized control, local store employees will no longer be required to concern themselves with pricing at the local level. This will reduce labor costs and provide for more accurate pricing.
The product information transmitted and displayed can include descriptive information such as cost per unit weight and can identify a product as a sale item with the price savings identified.